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"Gah!" Zinnia cried in surprise as she fell out of the tree she had been sleeping. Her first thought was someone was attacking them as the sun had just barely risen, but as she scanned the area and saw nothing out of the ordinary, she slowly lowered her guard.

"What was that?" She asked as Aster walked over to her from their tree. She had her ear raised as she listened for the sound that had woken them both up.

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"There it is again." Zinnia said as she and Aster turned in the direction of the river. Neither had the faintest idea of what was happening and were equally curious about what was going on.

But as they scanned the river bank, they saw what was making the noise.

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Serena blew into her whistle as she, Braixen and Pancham ran laps on the other side of the river. On the side where they had set up camp, Sylveon was cheering her teammates on, ribbons held high in the air.

"Damn, she's actually serious about winning? Surely she knows a little last minute prep isn't going to be enough to beat us." The dark haired girl said with a stretch, now much more relaxed knowing they weren't under threat.

"What's go'n on?" Wally said as he groggily came out of his tent. He didn't look fully awake and was rubbing sleep from his eyes as he looked blankly at Zinnia, who shot him a grin.

"It seems like someone's eager for a challenge." She replied. "It seems like Serena doesn't like to lose without a fight. She's already preparing for our battle and she hasn't even had breakfast yet. That's some impressive spirit!"

Wally turned, following Zinnia's gaze to Serena, where the blonde was still doing laps. Rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes, he walked over to stand by the dark haired girl.

"Serena doesn't battle often, does she?" He asked. "And now you're making her fight against someone with the skill to compete and win in a Pokémon league. That's a little harsh, don't you think? You know she doesn't have much of a chance. So why did you egg her on?"

"Long story, not worth repeating." Zinnia said with a careless wave of her hand. "But seeing as our blonde is busy, how about we make some grub? I don't know about you, but I'm not going to wait for her to finish her warm ups. So I'll start cooking if you start the fire."

With that, she wordlessly stepped away from Wally, making her way back to the tree where her bag was. Ignoring the boy who was still looking at her.

"Or maybe the two of you could just talk things over like normal people." He said to himself.

"Alright guys, you know the drill! If we want to beat Zinnia, we need to stay focused! She's an incredible trainer and skilled enough to beat even Pokémon league winner easily, so we can't go in without a strategy!" Serena said to Braixen and Pancham. They had finished their laps and were now sitting next to the river as she drew some diagrams in a notebook.

"I suspected she'll use Salamence for the battle. He seems to be her go to Pokémon. So expect powerful physical attacks! If we want to win, we need to keep our distance!" Despite filling her words with confidence, Serena couldn't shake her uncertainty as her insides squirmed. Although she knew how powerful Salamence was, the unfortunate truth was she didn't know a lot of how he fought.

The only times she had seen him battle, he had finished it with a single move! What's more, she still remembered when they had first met. His speed far surpassed both her and her Pokémon's reaction time. By a large margin!

That alone would already put her at a huge chance at victory at almost zero, but the cherry on top was that Zinnia had seen a good chunk of her battle with Arnold! So she had a good idea of her tricks and techniques. Basically this meant that not only was she going in at a huge experience disadvantage, but also the information disadvantage. And the more she thought about it, the wider the gap between them appeared.

But she wasn't completely out of the running.

Ash had taught her that a trainer's personality also played a big role in battle. And going off what she knew about Zinnia, Serena had a good guess on how the girl battled.

Salamence was a powerful physical attack while Noivern was a powerful special attacker. That told the girl Zinnia likes to hit hard and hit fast! And if her battle against Kay had told her something, Zinnia didn't wait and liked to end battles quickly.

If Serena's guess was right, Zinnia would probably start the battle with a powerful attack to see if she could clear the field immediately. And if that didn't work, she'd use a trick to stun her opponent in place long enough to blast them away with an attack. She'd have to keep an eye out for that sun trick.

This battle was going to be much harder than Arnold or Team Rocket. Zinnia was around the same level as Ash if not stronger, the blonde knew she couldn't afford one mistake! If she had any hope of winning, she'd have to create the perfect plan and pull it off flawlessly. Anything less and she could kiss her victory goodbye.

"Seeing as we can't fly, we need a way to ground her dragon. And we need to pull it off quickly. Otherwise she'll realize what we're up to and stop it. Pancham, your Stone Edge is probably the strongest attack we could use against Salamence so I'm thinking we use that! After that, we can use a powerful Psychic to try to be the finisher! That's the best chance I think we've got. So…"

As she continued strategizing, the one member of Serena's team lowered her head in defeat.

Sylveon didn't normally like to battle, but watching everyone else working hard to defend a friend while she had to sit on the sideline was frustrating for the fairy type. She understood why she had to, but for her trainer to go into battle against dragon types, a type she was practically made for fighting stung.

Stupid poacher! Why did he have to injure her so badly?!

She was so fixated on her frustration, she had become completely oblivious to her surroundings and jumped when a bowl of food was placed next to her.

"There you go, eat up!" Zinnia said, a smile on her face. "I didn't know what you liked, but I made something with a similar smell to what Serena normally gives you. Enjoy!"

Sylveon stared at Zinnia for a few seconds, then turned away, head held high. She didn't really understand what exactly happened between this girl and her trainer, but she knew that if Serena was mad at her, there was a good reason.

However, Zinnia didn't seem offended. In fact, she let out a good natured laugh and knelt down next to her.

"You're pretty close with Serena, aren't you?" She said, offering her hand to the pink Pokémon. "I get it. You feel that anything that makes your trainer unhappy is bad and seeing as we got into a fight last night, that mind set applies to me. But for what it's worth, I do get where she's coming from."

At these words, Sylveon turned to look at Zinnia in surprise. She had never heard her speak so gently before. It completely threw her off that someone she deemed as a wild girl could sound just as gentle as her trainer.

Smiling, Zinnia moved her hand closer, letting the fairy sniff it while still being very careful to respect the Pokémon's boundaries.

"Don't get me wrong. I have no clue what their relationship is…or was. But I understand what it feels like to love someone so deeply that you can't stand anyone speaking Ill of them. Trust me, I've gotten into a lot of fights as a kid because of my inability to stay silent. Honestly, if the show was on the other foot, I probably would have challenged her there and then."

Zinnia raised her hand and reached out for Sylveon's head, pausing briefly for consent, and once she got it, she began rubbing behind the fairy's ears making her yip in delight.

With an uncharacteristically soft smile as Pokémon rubbed her head against her hand, Zinnia turned to look over at Serena who was still training away, completely oblivious to what was happening on the other side of the river.

"You're really lucky to have such a wonderful trainer, you know?" Zinnia said in a somber tone. "Sometimes I wish I could go back to being that way. Free of responsibility you never asked for. Free of guilt and pain where you could just chase a dream without a care in the world. Honestly, sometimes I feel bad about burdening my Pokémon with my problems. Sometimes I think they'd be better off without me."

Sylveon moved back and looked up at Zinnia. She had a somber expression on her face as she continued to watch Serena train. She didn't look like she even noticed the Pokémon staring at her.

Carefully, the fairy type wrapped a ribbon around Zinnia's arm and released a wave of energy into the girl, calming her.

Feeling the wave of calm washing over her, the dark haired girl turned and smiled at Sylveon. "That's right. I forgot you have the power to calm others. Thank you." Her voice carried a tired tone that the Pokémon immediately noticed.

Sylveon knew her species had the power to sense emotions, but she had no idea how to do it. But she wished she could feel even just a little from the girl. Everything about her current mannerism told her there was more to her than just the wild and terrifying girl she showed to Serena.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Zinnia stood up and gently removed the ribbon from her arm.

"Thanks again. Now enjoy your food. I've got to get back to packing everything up so we can head off." She said in her normal tone, that same grin across her face once again. "Glad we got a chance to talk. I enjoyed it. But don't mention what I said to anyone, okay? Don't want anyone to get the wrong impression!"

With that, the girl turned and made her way back to camp, leaving the Pokémon still sitting next to the river. And after a little while, she turned and began eating the food the girl had left for her.

And she had to admit, Zinnia definitely knew her way around a kitchen.

Meanwhile,

"Pancham, Stone Edge! Braixen, block it with Fire Blast!" Serena cried. And as Pancham punched the ground sending rocks shooting towards his partner, the fire type dove back with a graceful spin as she directed her wand at him and launched a burst of flames towards him in an x shape.

The fire blasted through three of the stones before it went out, forcing Braixen to dodge out of the way with an elegant twirl.

"Good job guys!" Serena said happily. "Your attacks are already getting stronger! And your reaction time is improving as well! Now, Pancham, it's your turn to dodge and counter! Braixen, Psychic!"

Directing her wand at one of the rocks, she ripped it out of the ground as her eyes began to glow with power! Then, with a wave of her wand, she sent it flying at the panda Pokémon.

With a single move, Pancham cartwheeled out of the way and retaliated with a Dark Pulse.

However, instead of getting out of the way, Braixen stumbled clutching her head, eyes squeezed shut in pain, completely oblivious to the incoming attack!

"Look out!" Serena screamed as Pancham tried to change the trajectory of his attack, but it was too late! With a loud cry, Braixen took the attack head on! Knocking her back into a tree which took the wind out of her!

"Braixen! You okay?!" Serena yelled, both her and Pancham rushing over to their partner. They came to a stop right next to her and knelt beside her making sure she was okay. But the fire type opened her eyes and gave them a thumbs up, signaling she was okay.

With a sigh of relief, Serena drew back, helping her Pokémon up.

"Thank goodness." She said as the fire type stood. "I'm so sorry! We'll be more careful from now on, okay? I shouldn't have tried to have you use a new move you haven't mastered yet. We'll take it slower for now."

"Pan." Pancham apologized, lowering his head. But Braixen quickly waved it away, showing the place of impact which had no real damage.

But before she could get much farther, she staggered, clutching her head again. A weak moan of pain as her trainer and partner quickly moved in and caught her before she fell.

"Let's call it there for today." Serena said as she lowered her Pokémon back down and leaned her against the tree. "You should rest and besides, we still are going to be traveling today. Zinnia hasn't given us a date for the battle yet, so we've got time."

"Braix!" The fire type protested, but stopped when another burst of pain shot through her head. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she wasn't in any condition to train anymore. She'd have to take a break. So with a reluctant sigh, she stopped resisting and let herself rest.

"Working hard, I see."

Serena looked up to see Wally walking towards her, his Kirlia using its psychic powers to carry three bowls of food. And as he got closer, she saw two of the bowls had Pokémon food.

"Wasn't sure what they'd like, so I just got the basics." He said in an apologetic tone. "You seemed really into your training and I didn't want to disturb you to ask. Sorry if it's not what you like."

Serena reached up and took the food out of the air, then turned to smile at Wally. "No need to apologize. You were very thoughtful. Thanks to both of you!" She said warmly.

"Lia!" The Pokémon purred happily, then turned and placed the two bowls of Pokémon food in front of Serena's Pokémon who thanked him for his survives and immediately started eating, those Braixen was noticeably moving much slower then normal. Her head must still be bothering her.

"So, training not going to plan?" He asked as they both sat down on the grass as Serena glanced over at Sylveon to make sure she had also gotten food before answering.

"It's-!…No." She admitted dejectedly. "I know what I'm doing is dumb. I know Zinnia is leagues ahead of me. But I couldn't stand listening to her bad mouth Ash! He was the one how taught me so much when I first started my journey. I really admire him! And when Zinnia spoke about him like he was nothing, it just made me-. No. It still makes me mad. It's just-! How can she not see what an amazing trainer he is?! And what did he ever do to her?! He's traveled to six different regions at least and competed in every Pokémon league! That takes an incredible amount of skill! So how can she just dismiss him like he's not even worth her notice!"

Wally twirled his thumbs at her outburst. He fixed his gaze on the ground and didn't respond. And at that moment, Serena realized just how insensitive she had just been."

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She said immediately. "I didn't mean to-! I mean-! I wasn't trying to make fun of you! I just-!"

"No! No!" It's fine!" Wally said quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "I get it! You really look up to him! I understand. Max, May's younger brother, spoke in the exact same way. You could tell how much that family respects him. It's really incredible even after all these years, he still has such an influence on them. That's a testament to his skill."

Serena still felt somewhat bad about what she had said, but Wally continued so she couldn't apologize again.

"Trust me, I understand what an amazing trainer he must be. I've seen his influence all over the region. Or at least what hasn't been destroyed by his potent tendencies to make messes wherever he goes. No offense, but a lot of the adventures I heard, ended with something going horribly wrong and then having to run for their lives." He half joked, making the blonde let out a weak laugh. It shouldn't be this funny, but she still laughed all the same.

"But in the same breath, I can kinda see why someone who hasn't met or seen his influence can believe he wasn't anything special."

Immediately Serena stopped laughing as she stared at Wally, eyes wide in surprise.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"Well, after I heard about him, I went online and looked up some of his battles in various different leagues. And some of his battle techniques were…questionable." Wally spoke slowly, as if he was afraid Serena would get angry at him. But when he saw she didn't look upset, he pressed on with a bit more confidence.

"See, there were definitely some moments that made him seem not that great, and while I definitely understand everyone has their off battles, if you weren't looking out for him specifically, it definitely could come off as if he's not very good. Especially without the context of meeting or seeing the effects he's had on others."

Serena opened her mouth to speak, but paused when she couldn't find a good argument. Wally had a very good point. As much as she looked up to Ash, she had only really got to know him years into his journey. She didn't really know much about his first few years. She hadn't even looked to see his older Pokémon leagues.

Immediately she felt guilt fill her stomach. She had been so blinded by the skill she saw, she hadn't given a second thought to how he got there. He had rarely ever talked about his past and she had never asked. To her, he was always a source of strength, never wavering or giving up, but he had been built by his journeys, his defeats. Things she didn't know about.

If Ash had traveled with the princess of Hoenn when she first started, that would put his travels through the region about…three years ago! If that was the case, that might explain Zinnia seeing him as weak. Ash himself had admitted he was at his best four years into his travels! Something dramatic must have happened in between Hoenn and wherever he had gone after!

As realization dawned on Serena, she felt herself blushing as she remembered last night. Zinnia was definitely out of line, but she definitely hadn't helped. Instead of being rational she had just lashed out at the girl without trying to understand. Of course some people wouldn't see Ash the way she did. That was natural, but in her moment of anger she had forgotten that.

But…

"Maybe you're right, but I'm still not letting this go." Serena said quietly, staring blankly at her hands. "Zinnia isn't right either. And while I get why she doesn't see Ash in the same light, I still won't sit by and let her badmouth him. That's something I just can't stand."

Serena took a deep breath as she clenched her hands into fists. She knew going through with the battle probably would only make things worse, but she still refused to back down.

"Maybe I'm just being selfish or short minded, but I absolutely refuse to let anyone, for any reason, insult Ash like that. He's worked harder than anyone to get where he is. I want to be like him, work just as hard! To this day, he remains and always will stay, my greatest inspiration! So, I don't care why or who it is, if anyone wants to badmouth him while I'm around, I can't just let it go!"

Wally stared at her, but he had no judgment on his gaze. In fact, his eyes were filled with admiration for her dedication to her friend. He wished he could be as brave as the blonde girl.

Maybe, just maybe, he could give it a try.

"So, if you're serious about going through with the battle, have you decided what the handicap Zinnia will have to use?" He asked nervously as he looked at the ground face starting to blush. "If not, I have a request."

"Zinnia! Can we talk?!"

Said dark haired girl looked up as she heard her name being called as she finished packing up the tents. She immediately saw Serena and Wally making their way towards her from the river. And despite last night's heated fight, the blonde looked in good spirits.

"Yeah, sure. What's up." She asked as they came to a stop in front of her. She had been doing the dishes and was honestly surprised to see they had already cleaned their plates. Honestly, a part of her had expected Serena to become extremely petty for the rest of the trip until they got their battle. It came as a welcome surprise to see the blonde at least wasn't going to be a pain until things were settled.

"Zinnia, about our battle. You said I got to pick a handicap, right? Well, I've decided what handicap I want." Serena said, looking right into Zinnia's eyes. And to the dark haired girl's surprise, she didn't see the same anger as last night. It was still there, but now it burned with furious determination instead of pure rage.

But as surprise as Zinnia was, it was completely dwarfed when she heard Serena's request.

"I want you to have a two on one battle. I want you to face Wally at the same time as me!"

Instantaneously Zinnia's jaw dropped and the tent almost slipped from her hands. She stared blankly at the blonde as if she had grown a second head! She wanted what!?

"You want me to battle Wally?! I- what?!" She stammered, completely unable to understand what she meant. She had expected Serena's need to prove herself to result in her saying she didn't want a handicap. The dark haired girl had even prepared a speech to sway the blonde!

Yet here she was asking that she basically get help from another trainer! Never in a million years did Zinnia expect her to do this!

"No way! That wasn't part of the deal" Zinnia protested. "I said you could pick a handicap! Meaning something I couldn't do or something not this! Serena, you don't need to decide right now. How about you pick something that doesn't drag someone else into-."

"Actually, I asked to be her handicap." Wally said, stepping forward. "I want to test myself, prove I'm stronger. And I can't think of a greater person than someone strong enough to make the winner of the Hoenn league go flying, can you?"

Zinnia stared at Wally, then moved her gaze to Serena. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. First the girl who had been hyper focused on proving her wrong was willing to accept help. Then the kid who was scared off by just a simple argument was challenging her directly despite seeing how easily she had felt with someone he hadn't stood a chance against!

Was this really all because of that stupid medaling kid and his electric rat?

That damn kid…

Slowly Zinnia's face changed to a grin. She might never be able to get back at Ash for what he had done, but she might have just stumbled onto something even more interesting! Sure, it wasn't payback, but she may get something important out of this exchange!

"Alright, you're on!" She said, looking at her two opponents with her trademark grin. "Name when you want to throw down and we can get to it!"

Serena didn't back down as Zinnia grinned down at her. Tightening her hand into a fist, she locked eyes with the wild girl and held her gaze with equal intensity.

"In two days. As soon as we finish breakfast." She said without hesitation. "We'll battle right after we finish cleaning up. Then, we can put this argument to rest."

Zinnia raised her eyebrow at the blonde's words. "Two days? You sure? I would have thought you'd want more time to prepare." She said, "You know I'm not going to hold back like I did against Karen. I might get carried away and accidentally hurt you."

Despite her threat, Serena did not waver. If anything her words strengthened the girl's determination.

"That's all the time we'll need to come up with a way to beat you."

Caught off guard by the blonde's confidence, Zinnia let her face betray her surprise. But it was only for an instant, and when she regained her composure, she threw her head back with a howl of laughter.

"Well, I look forward to losing them!" She said as looked back at the blonde, eyes now burning. And for a fraction of a second, Serena could have sworn she saw the girl's teeth had turned to fangs and her cloak had become wings!

But the next instant, Zinnia was back to normal. And as she was ripped back to reality, Serena found herself needing to strengthen her resolve as the dark haired girl spoke once again.

"But be warned, I don't plan on going down easy." She said as she grinned ear to ear. "So you'd better bring your A-game. Because otherwise, I'll have you both eating the dirt within a minute!"

Taking a deep breath, Serena steamed her nerves as she prepared for what would undoubtedly be her toughest battle ever!